Alice De Lancey Izard

Alice De Lancey Izard (, De Lancey; 1745 – April 1, 1832) was an American socialite. Her life was one of varied experiences, reaching from the seclusion of a South Carolina plantation where she introduced the culture of silkworms, hoping it to be a benefit to the state, to the social life in European cities. She spent several winters prior to the American Revolution in London society, after which she resided in Paris, where she was said to be admired at exclusive French salons. She accompanied her husband, Ralph Izard, to the Court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Mrs. Izard took on the role of a politician's wife while her husband served as a U.S. Senator. In her later years, widowed, she conducted dinner parties in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born in New York City into a well-connected family, her grandfathers were Étienne de Lancy and Cadwallader Colden. She had several siblings, including brothers Stephen De Lancey and James De Lancey. Mr. and Mrs. Izard had fourteen children including, Ralph DeLancey Izard and George Izard. Early life Alice De Lancey was born in New York City, 1745. She was the second daughter of Peter DeLancey (1705–1770), of Westchester County, New York, and Elizabeth (née Colden) DeLancey. Among her siblings were brothers, James De Lancey, a Loyalist, and Stephen DeLancey, both later serving as members of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia. In 1775, her sister, Jane Delancey (1750–1809) married John Watts in a double wedding, along with her sister, Susannah Delancey (1754–1837), who married Thomas Henry Barclay. Jane and her husband resided in Broadway; during the first session of the first Congress, the Watts entertained Senator Izard and family in the spacious Watts mansion.